How tasty is YOUR tomato?

This past Saturday, I joined a panel of esteemed judges to taste some of the District’s most delicious homegrown tomatoes. The Tastiest Tomato Contest — the first event leading up to the third annual DC State Fair — took place at the Columbia Heights farmers’ market, and to delicious success. (The actual fair will be held near Barracks Row on Saturday, Sept 22. More details are here.)

The most discerning tomato judge arrived just after the official panel turned in our comments….

We were glad to learn that the seven-year-old connoisseur concurred with our assessment, and the awards ceremony proceeded as planned. Congratulations to John Andreoni, who walked away with this year’s “Tastiest Tomato” award (and a 1-year subscription to Washington Gardener Magazine) for his sweet yellow winner!

The remaining tomatoes found their way into Chef Kenneth’s fattoush, enjoyed by many a passer-by at the market following the competition — no use letting good tomatoes go to waste!

Want to strut your gardening and/or culinary prowess at this year’s DC State Fair? From homemade pies and cupcakes to jams to pickles to homebrew to The Ugliest Vegetable contest, there’s sure to be an event to suit you. The full list of 2012 contests and sign-ups can be found here. It’s going to be delicious…. (And in case you’re wondering, there’s already a waiting list to be a judge for the pie tasting event.)